Illinois State Senate: Label, go after, neo-Nazi groups as terrorists

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Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the “alt-right” march down East Market Street toward Emancipation Park during the “Unite the Right” rally Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Illinois State Senate: Label, go after, neo-Nazi groups as terrorists

Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the “alt-right” march down East Market Street toward Emancipation Park during the “Unite the Right” rally Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In the wake of violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters, the Illinois State Senate wants white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups classified as terrorist organizations.

In a resolution authorized Sunday, lawmakers urge law enforcement to “pursue the criminal elements of these domestic terrorist organizations in the same manner and with the same fervor used to protect the United States from other manifestations of terrorism.”

State Sen. Don Harmon, a Democrat who introduced the measure, said he did so in response to Saturday’s “inexcusable violence committed by white nationalist & neo-Nazi groups in Charlottesville.”

In a series of tweets, Harmon said it is “vital that we stand in total opposition to the hatred, bigotry & violence displayed by these groups.”

Hundreds of white nationalists and other right-wing groups converged Saturday on Charlottesville, which has drawn protests over the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The FBI also investigates domestic terrorism — and identifies suspects — based on whether “goals are to achieve political or social change through activities that involve force or violence,” according to federal guidelines.

While Congress has formally defined “domestic terrorism,” federal lawmakers have never created a crime to match the classification, CNN legal analyst Page Pate writes.

In calling for the protest organizations to be branded as terrorist groups, Harmon took to Twitter to slam them and their beliefs.